God created men and women to be equal partners on earth, in His beautiful blue planet ― to flourish and prosper and live in happiness and harmony. Let us not mar our joy by confronting each other, says OSWALD PEREIRA
Just out of school, and before joining college, when I learnt typing, we used the drill, “Now is the time for all good men of the world to unite and come to the aid of the party.” Surprisingly, even girls learning typing used the same drill and thought nothing of substituting women for men. Perhaps that was because in those good old days, gender equality was not an issue and boys and girls did not quarrel for supremacy.
Since then, things have changed and men and women seem pitted against each other, claiming their exclusive rights. Of course, we would like to believe that this is not happening in our homes, or even in our country, which is a beacon to the world. This, indeed, may be the best case scenario. So be it.
The fact, though remains that taking a cue from women, men too are jumping into the fray of seeking protection from oppression, whether real or imaginary, it’s difficult to opine. Yesterday, November 19, the world observed or more likely, celebrated International Men’s Day (IMD). Unlike International Women’s Day (IWD), which is celebrated on a grand scale on March 8, every year, IMD is a comparatively low key affair.
The theme this year was “Better Health for Men and Boys” with the aim to make practical improvements to the health and wellbeing of the male population. The theme of 2019’s IMD was “Making a Difference for Men and Boys,” and focused on promoting the need to value men and boys. Last year, too, there was a call to help people make practical improvements in men and boy’s health and well-being. The theme of 2018’s IMD was “Positive Male Role Models,” and focused on giving men and boys good positive role models to look up to.
Significantly, 2016’s theme for IMD was “Stop Male Suicide”. If statistical data is to be believed, in countries the world over, the rate of suicide among men is higher than women, in some cases as high as six men for every one woman. China is an exception in this grim scenario. Also, life expectancy is invariably less for men than women worldwide.
IMD is a very new event compared to IWD. The idea of a special Women’s Day germinated in 1909 in New York at an event organised by the Socialist Party of America, and in 1917 after women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia, March 8 became a national holiday. Interestingly, it was the communist countries that celebrated the day for more than 50 years, until the feminist movement adopted it in 1967. The United Nations began celebrating the day as IWD only a decade later in 1977.
IMD was first launched on February 7, 1992 by Thomas Oaster, a US academic. It apparently didn’t have much of an impact and was revived and the celebration date changed to November 19 by Dr Jerome Teelucksingh from the History Department at the University of the West Indies. He said that IMD grass roots activists are “striving for gender equality and patiently attempt to remove the negative images and the stigma associated with men in our society.”
Dr Teelucksingh chose November 19 as IMD to honour his father’s birthday, which is quite a moving gesture by a son for his father. But by affirming that IMD was striving for gender equality and attempting to remove negativity and stigma attached to men in our society, he seems to have raised controversies.
Has he turned the tables and is suggesting that men are unequal to women? This is not clear. For, in the next breath, he talks about removing the stigma associated with men in our society and their negative images. If men are the oppressed sex, why are they stigmatised and carry a negative image is a proposition difficult to understand. Is he contradicting himself?
With so much of obfuscation and confusion that the architects of IMD have generated, isn’t it better that the world abandons these needless and mindless celebrations by men ― and women, too?
God created men and women to be equal partners on earth, in His beautiful blue planet ― to flourish and prosper and live in happiness and harmony. Let us not mar our joy by confronting each other.
Oswald Pereira, a senior journalist, has also written eight books, including The Newsroom Mafia, Chaddi Buddies, The Krishna-Christ Connexion, How to Create Miracles in Our Daily Life and Crime Patrol: The Most Thrilling Stories. Oswald is a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, and practises Kriya Yoga.
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Great article sir. Nice to know the history of Men’s Day. I would say, over the years such celebrations have been failed to bring about significant positive change in the society or on the earth, rather it has been a day to sing glory of women and men which in terms of emotions seems superficial.
Thank you for powerful message!
Regards,
Shashi Dip
Shashi Ji, I agree yearly celebrations by women and men for their causes are rather superficial, and serve no useful purpose.
Oswald Ji, don’t know how, but I have a lateral view of celebrating IWD or IMD. Although I personally strongly approve women’s empowerment as a tool to optimise humanity’s optimum development, I strongly disapprove the celebration of dichotomising humanity on the basis of gender difference.
Abraham Maslow, one of the great genius of the school of humanistic school of psychology has this to say on the genesis of pathology of our mindset:
“Dichotomy pathologises & Pathology dichotomises.”
Yes, till the germs of this dichotomy keep proliferating in our mindset, we can not win over the pathology of gender difference and integrate them together in a higher level of functioning, a synergy that is required for humanity’s highest development in itself. And to that very end, as you have so strongly observed, it is “better that the world abandons these needless and mindless celebrations by men ― and women, too.”
In fact, we all carry within ourselves the polarities of masculinity & femininity which can be identified in the qualities of administration & control, freedom & justice, valour & patience, care & compassion…and so on. And once we reach a healthy fusion of these qualities, we can resolve the polarities within, making out of it a sweet blend. Each that way can celebrate the transcendence of dichotomy of gender difference and with it the symbolic celebration of a day which as such makes no sense.
I deeply admire your sentiment.
Baturam Ji, “dichotomising humanity on the basis of gender difference,” as you have phrased it, is working against harmonious man-woman relationships. This must be discouraged for healthy relationships between the sexes.
In the Bible in the letter of Peter was just reading this morning he says ,Women be submissive to your husbands and husbands be patient and kind to your wife he calls the woman a weaker vessel and says take care of them or else it will hinder our prayers made to God.well…..it makes sense but you are right Osie things are changing and nowadays women want to be the better half not the weaker vessel ?
True, Lionel, the world is changing and so we should look at the scriptures keeping these changes in mind.
Agree with you completely
Thank you, Kaveri.
Awesomely written
Thank you, Stephen.